


The Father and the Lord

by basildarling (thespiderbaby)



Category: Father Brown (2013), The Fast Show
Genre: Angst, Canon Gay Character, Crossover, Emotionally Repressed, M/M, Murder Mystery, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Period-Typical Homophobia, Rating May Change, Tea Parties, Unrequited Love, fake murder confession, father brown says gay rights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28673883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespiderbaby/pseuds/basildarling
Summary: Mr Mayhew is known in Kembleford for keeping to himself. So when Father Brown and the gang are invited to a garden party, it comes as a great surprise. But while they enjoy their champagne and scones, darker events are about to unfold.
Relationships: Ralph Mayhew/Ted
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	The Father and the Lord

Receiving the invitation had come as a bit of a surprise to Father Brown for two reasons. Firstly, Lord Mayhew had earned a solid reputation in Kembleford for keeping to himself; while it was not unusual for the Montagues and other rich families to hold lavish garden parties, the young Lord Mayhew was quite the opposite. One supposed he was _invited_ to these things, but he would never show up. In fact, the most anyone saw of him would be his weekly trips to the village shop to buy a newspaper and a bag of boiled sweets. On other occasions, he could be seen sitting by himself at the pub, doing his best to hide behind a pint, looking away whenever someone glanced in his direction. The mysterious life this man seemed to lead fueled hushed gossip. Some of the men down The Red Lion had tried to start rumours that the man was a Soviet spy, but that was quickly shot down. Spies were supposed to be rugged and suave, weren’t they? And, not that you would say it to his face, but by all accounts, Lord Mayhew was a bit of a pansy. 

Secondly, Father Brown wondered why he should be invited. Politeness, he supposed. It was the done thing to invite the parish priest to these community events, even if you were the most brazen atheist in Kembleford. He couldn’t complain; who could say no to canapés and a cheeky glass of sherry? And there was the important business of keeping up with one’s flock, of course. But, thinking back, the last time he had seen Lord Mayhew in church, he must’ve been a child of ten or so. Shepherded by his stern father; a military man, Brown seemed to recall. Silent, stone-faced as the young master twisted round to chat to the elderly ladies in the pew behind, until his father clipped him round the back of his head with a hymn book. The young Ralph was silent after that, keeping his head bowed and Father Brown felt a wave of sympathy towards him, and anger towards the parents who obviously felt no love for their son. But there was nothing he could do to help. Ralph was shipped off to a prestigious boarding school not long after that, he had heard, although the young master’s schooling had been kept very hush-hush. His parents still attended St. Marys, but Brown, despite wanting to be compassionate to all members of the congregation, was wary of them, and their interactions rarely went further than a handshake and a strained smile. 

He had conducted Lord Mayhew Senior’s funeral; it stuck out to Father Brown, being one of the first burials he had conducted in Kembleford, over 15 years ago. It had been a bitterly cold day, and most of the congregation were eager to get away. Ralph had been at the funeral, his mother gripping his arm tightly. It had struck Brown how pale and feeble Ralph had looked, but he was hurried away soon after the service ended. Perhaps it was just overwhelming grief, but the Father made sure to remember him in his prayers that week;

Then, only a few months later, Lady Mayhew had died. Ralph didn’t show his face at the graveside; a great shame, as Brown wished to offer his condolences to the young man who had lost so much at such a tender age. He didn’t go out much at all these days; it was as if he wasn’t connected to the rest of Kembleford. But, despite the villagers expecting him to sell the estate and travel the world, Ralph stayed put, simply existing as the people of Kembleford  _ lived _ , changed, and celebrated the Jubilee on a continuous, never ending loop. In time, their curiosity waned, and they forgot all about the young Lord, only occasionally bringing him up in hushed tones when there was nothing else to gossip about.

  
  


*** 

Father Brown, Sid, Bunty and Mrs McCarthy had been waiting at the edge of the lawn to be greeted for quite some time now, and were beginning to wonder whether they should just invite themselves into the midst of the party. 

Mrs McCarthy wrung her hands impatiently. "Will our host be joining us, do you think, Father?" 

"All in good time," replied Father Brown. "I expect he's rather rushed off his feet, organising this whole event by himself." 

They didn't have to wait long; a man dressed in shabby tweeds came half-walking, half-jogging towards them. His mustard coloured waistcoat had clearly seen better days; in fact, his whole ensemble had, except for his shoes, which were polished to an immaculate shine. He caught up with the group, stopping for a second to catch his breath.

“Ah, Father! It is jolly good of you to come.” 

“How do you do, Lord Mayhew? Father Brown extended a hand; it took a moment for Ralph to reach out and shake it, as if he’d been stuck in his own little dream-world. 

“Please, Ralph is fine. It is my name, after all!” Ralph gave a small, nervous laugh. “Well, you’ll have to excuse me for my lack of staff. These days, one can barely afford to keep the old place running! There’s my good man, Ted, my, err...my groundsman and, well, that’s all really. But we muddle along just fine, the two of us.” He scratched the back of his neck in a self conscious manner. 

"I thought it rather unfair to have him serving drinks all by himself, so it is rather a case of helping yourself. Oh! I- I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me, I must go and greet the other guests, but I'll speak with you later, Father." 

As Ralph bounded away, Sid turned to face Father Brown. "Odd chap." 

"Mmm, I think he's simply not used to this sort of thing. He seems a pleasant enough fellow, though, all things considered." 

"He could be quite handsome," remarked Bunty. "If he smartened himself up a little. He was looking rather shabby. Did you see how his cuffs were all frayed? Someone should take him into town and get him measured for a brand new suit!" 

"Perhaps he doesn't like tailors," said Father Brown. "Anyway, shall we?" He gestured towards the drinks table. 

“Good thinking, Father,” Sid replied. “I’m absolutely parched!”

With that, the Father gestured with his arm for Sid to lead the way.

  
  


***

  
  


Father Brown was just reaching for a sneaky second glass of champagne when he felt someone bump into his side. He whipped around quickly, ready to brandish his umbrella should the situation escalate, but there was no need.

"Sorry about that, sir, er, Father." Father Brown heard a distinctive Irish accent and looked up to see who the voice belonged to; it wasn't somebody he recognised. The man had wild, grey sideburns

"Oh no, not at all. Really, I shouldn't be so greedy! I just couldn’t resist, on a fine day like this.”

“It’s not a problem, Father. The young master went to the trouble of putting on this gathering for everyone. Only thing is, he wasn’t sure how many people would turn up, so he might’ve bought a bit too much drink. I’m sure there’s plenty to go around, and if we do run out, well, we’ve got a priest here, haven’t we?”

It took Father Brown a few seconds to get the joke, but when he did, he laughed heartily. “Indeed! Ah- I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“Ted, Father. I work for young Mr Mayhew, gardening work mainly, but with just me here, I usually end up doing most of the odd jobs around the place.”

“I see. Mr Mayhew did mention you, in passing. He seems to be very grateful for all you’ve done here.”

“That’s the young sir for you,” Father Brown was sure he could see the slight hint of a smile on Ted’s face.

“And of course, if you ever need any help with any of your work here, my friend Sid here is very handy with tools!” 

“Very kind of you, sirs. I wouldn’t really know about that, though. Mr Mayhew-” Ted looked around. “-isn’t that well off when it comes to funds. He probably wouldn’t be able to pay your friend for his help. I can’t say I understand it fully, but his parents...weren’t that responsible with money, and didn’t leave him with much.”

Father Brown smiled. “That’s not a problem. I’m sure Sid would be happy to help out just for the sake of helping.”

***

  
  


“You said I’d do  _ what _ ?” Sid cried, once Father Brown had taken his third glass of champagne and joined up again with the rest of the group. “I don’t even know this Mr Mayhew!”

“Now, Sidney,” Father Brown said sternly. “It seemed like a kind thing to do. Forgive me for saying this, but Ted is not a young man, and I’m sure he would appreciate the extra help.”

“In that case, I’ll offer my assistance as well!” Bunty replied. “I’m sure tinkering around with tractors can’t be that different to tinkering around with cars. Besides, Mr Mayhew seems like an intriguing character. Sure, he’s shy, but I bet he’s a hoot once he opens up.”

But there was no time for Sid or the Father to respond, as, at that moment, they were alerted by shouts coming from the drinks table, and the sound of breaking glass. 

**Author's Note:**

> idk how many chapters will be in this eventually or even when ill write a new one but shout out to the flambrown discord server i love you guys. kept in the jubilee line as a nod to you lot <3 also i might change the title bc i am bad at titles


End file.
